There will be shade at Miss Edgewood Avenue 2014
The drag queens of Atlanta will compete for Miss Edgewood Avenue at Noni’s
- Blane Bussey
- Brigitte Bidet
If you can’t see down Edgewood Avenue tonight, it could be due to some heavy shade-throwing as local drag queens duke it out for the crown of Miss Edgewood Avenue 2014. The pageant is the second annual fundraiser for Barefoot Gypsy, a local production house that seeks to showcase area talent as well as grassroots organizations. CL caught up with host and reigning Miss Edgewood, Brigitte Bidet, as well as Barefoot Gypsy founder, 25-year-old video editor Liliana Bakhtiari, to discuss their partnership, thinking locally, and the how it doesn’t get more American than drag democracy.
While the first annual Miss Edgewood Pageant donated funds to the Meas family in Cambodia, a portion of this year’s proceeds will benefit a local organization for homeless LGBTQ youth. What inspired you to take Barefoot Gypsy in a more local direction?
Liliana Bakhtiari: Just because we live in a better place, people here are survivors too. I can’t even express what an honor it is to work with Brigitte and these queens. They’re sassy and they’re hard, but it doesn’t mean that they haven’t been through things themselves. It’s really changed my view of what drag is. We all have a way of connecting to one another and we all have something to learn - doing these events linking people, not just overseas, but here.
Tell me about your decision to support Lost-N-Found.
Brigitte Bidet: Just like we create safe spaces for gender expression, they’re creating spaces for people who live this and don’t have the resources that we have. Lost-N-Found just opened a thrift store that helps raise funds. They just had a huge renovation day for a house on Juniper that they purchased. Those are two huge projects that they definitely need help with. We saw our paths crossing in terms of starting bigger projects and wanting to do bigger things.
LB: I’ve worked with a lot of nonprofits, and when we’ve done fundraisers it’s always been these very stuffy events to raise money. So there’s this idea that just because we’re young and because we like to go out and have fun with each other, doesn’t mean we’re not interested in doing good.
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In addition to raising money for charity, the Miss Edgewood pageant is Barefoot Gypsy’s annual fundraiser. What projects are in store for the organization in 2014?
LB: Everything from skateboarding competitions to hair competitions that will benefit cancer patients. Our upcoming films will be focusing on the growing drag scene in Atlanta, Cambodia, and a few short stories on survivors throughout the US.
How did Barefoot Gypsy become involved with the drag community and how has that relationship evolved since your collaboration at the first Miss Edgewood pageant?
BB: A group of my friends started doing drag almost two years ago. There’s this competition called New Faces at Friends on Ponce where all the baby queens start out. We each won. Corian Elsior started deejaying at Mary’s and we got a small following and started kind of a new drag scene. It became a new performance art outlet that wasn’t, like, in a gallery. So I would say after noticing that buzz that was created in East Atlanta, Liliana wanted to put on a drag show to kick off Barefoot Gypsy.
LB: Brigitte organized the first annual Miss Edgewood, and I did all the PR. The girls all donated their time. And the turnout was so huge, it was such a successful event that Brigitte ended up getting her own show at Noni’s called “Tossed Salad.” Barefoot Gypsy was able to raise money for this family in Cambodia. They managed to rebuild a portion of their school and to send one of their students to university.
How will this year compare?
LB: This is going to actually be a pageant.
BB: Last year it was a gag and I ended up winning, and I did the Lindsay Lohan monologue from Mean Girls. It was so ignorant. All of our makeup is way better this year. All of our tucks are tighter. It’s a suggested donation, but that donation gets you a ballot and you can buy as many ballots as you want, just like the presidential election.
Miss Edgewood Avenue 2014 featuring Brigitte Bidet, Ellasaurus Rex, Lavonia Elberton, Violet Chachki, and more. $5 Suggested Donation. Thurs., Feb. 20. 9 p.m. Noni’s, 357 Edgewood Ave.